


A Whole New Epiphany

by merle_p



Series: Melody!verse [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-06 20:30:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merle_p/pseuds/merle_p
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time it happens, it's like an epiphany.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Whole New Epiphany

**Author's Note:**

> Written December 2009.  
> _Glee_ belongs to FOX. Finn and Kurt belong to each other. At least in this story.   
> There was a prompt over at [Glee fic!battle](http://electrifyus.livejournal.com/7051.html) that said _Puck/Kurt, Puck is raising his daughter and she calls Kurt 'mama', Any _, and I really wanted to write a fic about Kurt being the baby's mama. But then "Sectionals" happened, and then this fic happened, and because I'm mean and stupid like that, it turned out to be a Finn/Kurt fic instead.

Five days after leaving the hospital, Quinn packs her purple suitcase and takes the next Greyhound bus to California. Two days later, Puck follows her in his old black Chevy, with nothing but a bag of clothes on the passenger seat and the plan to win her back in his head.

And Finn finds himself left behind with a wailing newborn in his arms that isn't really his, a birth certificate that claims that it _is_, two goodbye letters that say little more than "sorry", and a heart full of worries and trepidation.

***

"You didn't come to Glee practice yesterday", Kurt says, dropping into the seat next to Finn – the seat that used to be occupied by Puck and that nobody has dared to claim since he left. Kurt doesn't seem to care: he carefully arranges his limbs in the chair and blinks up at Finn expectantly.

"No", Finn answers, staring down at the geography book on his desk. "My mom has taken some time off, but she can't look after the baby 24/7, you know. I meant to talk to you guys anyway … I don't think I've got time for Glee anymore."

He is still not looking at Kurt, not wanting to see the pity he expects to find there – the pity he can see in everyone's faces these days. What he doesn't expect is a well-manicured hand reaching into his field of view and settling on top of the atlas he has been staring at blindly.

"Having a baby is not an excuse for ditching Glee, Finn", Kurt says sternly. "Being a single father doesn't mean you don't get to have a life anymore."

"Is that why your dad never got married again?" Finn asks snidely. It's a low blow, and he feels bad even as he says it, but Kurt just gives him a mildly disapproving glance.

"Actually, he did date for a while", he says coolly. "He just decided that the options Lima has to offer are not up to his standard. And I must say I agree with him." With his free hand, he pushes a recalcitrant fringe of hair back behind his ear.

"I'm sorry", Finn says apologetically, meaning both his comment and his absence from Glee. "But I don't have the time. I barely have time to go to school at all."

"And that is not acceptable", Kurt says. "Which is why I talked to Brittany, and two of her banana nut cheerio friends agreed to look after the baby on Thursday afternoons in exchange for a selection of BareMinerals products. Don't worry, I did a background check on them, and they seem reliable, if a bit dumb. Also", he continues before Finn can even open his mouth, "Artie and Tina are going to take her on Tuesdays from now on, so that you are not going to miss football practice anymore. And I'll look after her this weekend, because I heard Matt talking to you about seeing _Iron Man 2_. And while Robert Downey Jr. is hot, I'd rather watch him in _Wonderboys_ any day, so don't even try to say no."

Finn stares, taken aback. "Why are you doing this, Kurt?"

Kurt raises a brow. "Everyone knows that this child isn't yours, Finn. So what if Quinn told them to put your name on the birth certificate – if you wanted to, you could just take a paternity test. But then they'd probably hand her over to Quinn's parents." He pulls a disgusted face. "And nobody wants that. This is your choice. And we are supporting you. It's what Glee is for, right?"

***

Finn doesn't have it in him to protest. And so Kurt steps in, taking over Finn's life with a hands-on, down-to-earth attitude that Finn didn't expect, but doesn't really surprise him either.

While Finn is still frozen, unable to act or react, Kurt talks to teachers about schedules and to doctors about vaccination shots, and turns his weekly trips to the mall with Mercedes into hunts for baby clothes and stuffed animals.

He starts to wear Finn's old, well-worn sweaters around the house, because, like he says, "I'm not going to let her barf milk and drool all over my two hundred dollar shirt", and sings the baby to sleep with Irving Berlin's _Moonshine Lullaby_.

Her name is Melody, which was Miss Pillsbury's idea and seems fitting, somehow. Finn still calls her Drizzle, sometimes; Quinn is not around him to reprimand him, and it makes Kurt smile, which would almost be reason enough by itself.

***

"Drizzle", Kurt says when he catches Finn saying it the first time. "I like it."

"You don't think it's stupid?" Finn asks, feeling strangely vulnerable and defensive.

"Well", Kurt concedes, "I would if you'd actually _named_ her Drizzle." He smiles. "But as a pet name? It's cute, and the sentiment behind it is beautiful." He is quiet for a long time, and then he says: "My mom used to call me bumblebee."

"Because you were so chubby?" Finn asks and then slaps a hand over his mouth. "Sorry", he murmurs, but to his surprise, Kurt actually giggles.

"Well, that, and – you know, Hummel. It's the German word for bumblebee." He sighs. "Later she called me Judy sometimes. Said I was going to be a star, like Judy Garland." He smiles crookedly. "Dad wasn't too happy about that one."

Finn nudges him with his elbow, gently. "Well, your mom was right. You are gonna be a star some day. And then you won't even want to talk to us anymore."

"Don't be silly", Kurt says, "I'll never not want to talk to you." And he smiles at him with so much fondness that Finn has to look away.

***

Finn knows that Kurt likes him. He might be slow, but he's not stupid; and the stern looks that Burt Hummel gives him sometimes only confirm what he sees in Kurt's face every day. And it's not that he doesn't like Kurt: because Kurt has proven himself to be strong and loyal and caring, and he manages to make Finn laugh when no-one else can. It's not even that he's a boy: Kurt's skin is just as fair as Quinn's, and his limbs just as slender, his mouth just as pink – Finn would be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to that.

And lately, there has been this feeling, spreading warm and fluttering in the vicinity of his heart, whenever he watches Kurt blow raspberries against Melody's belly, or push a shopping cart along the baby food aisle, or fall asleep in front of the TV, toes tucked into the small space between the underside of Finn's thighs and the couch.

But Finn – Finn is not ready yet. Between school and football and Glee, the baby and his worries about the future, Finn doesn't feel strong enough to risk getting hurt again. He trusts Kurt, with his life, and with his heart, but he doesn't yet quite trust himself, and he can't afford to lose Kurt's friendship, not now that he needs it so much.

***

The first time it happens, it's like an epiphany.

(And yes, Finn knows what an epiphany is, thank you very much. He looked it up on Wikipedia after Kurt used it four times in his panegyric on Dolce&amp;Gabbana's summer collection.)

Burt Hummel, it turned out, is just as happy to look after the baby as Finn's mother is; and while Finn and Kurt learn about Spanish Grammar and the Cold War at school, and browse college websites on the school computers between classes, the crib (and later, the high chair) is positioned in a corner of Burt's office, right next to the workshop, where he can keep an eye on her through the glass window separating the two rooms.

It's clear that Mr. Hummel loves Melody, and most of the time, he seems to like Finn just fine, aside from his obvious worries that Finn is going to break his son's heart, if only because they can talk football and CSI.

Finn's mother, on the other hand, adores Kurt. "He's such a nice boy", she keeps saying, in that tone that Finn never thought he'd hear her use. After he'd introduced Quinn to her, she'd said: "Hm. She's very pretty", and although she'd welcomed Quinn at her house with open arms after her parents kicked her out, Finn never caught them reading _Vanity Fair_ together, huddled together over the magazine, faces covered in something mushy and green.

"It's a cucumber mask", Kurt explains, when Finn shrieks and almost crushes into a chair. "What? A perfect complexion requires a lot of work."

And Carole Hudson laughs and says: "Don't look like that, Finn. It's not _permanent_", and Finn tries to remember when he's last seen his mother laugh like this.

***

Melody is sixteen months old when it happens, and she has just started talking. The first thing she said was "Dada", and Finn is pretty sure that Kurt taught her that, because he looked far too smug for weeks after. She also knows to say "no", "bug" and "sing", and yells "woof woof" whenever she sees a cat.

"And I told Artie for the tenth time that if he wants Tina to go with him to homecoming, he really needs to ask her first", Kurt chatters. He's curled up on the passenger seat of his car, leaving the wheel to Finn, like he always does on Wednesdays after PE. They are on their way to the garage, to pick up Melody and take her to the park.

"Uhuh", Finn makes, trying to concentrate on the road – he really doesn't want a repeat of what happened with the mail man, especially with Kurt sitting next to him without his safety belt on.

"I mean, it's not as if she's going to say no, right?" Kurt rambles on, not bothered by Finn's lack of response. "Seriously, they have been going back and forth since freshman year."

"Maybe they are just scared", Finn offers, shifting gears (because Kurt's dad doesn't believe in automatics), and trying not to think about how domestic all this feels.

"Scared of what?" Kurt asks, who's now powdering his nose in the rearview mirror. Finn thinks it says a lot that he barely even notices anymore. "He likes her, she likes him – they could be practically married by now if they didn't insist on being stupid."

The powderbox snaps shut with a click, and Finn doesn't reply – because there's really not much he can say against that.

***

Kurt offers to park the car and tells him to go ahead, and Finn doesn't hesitate, because he's always eager to see Melody after a long day at school. Burt nods at him from across a yellow VW Beetle when he enters the garage, and Finn waves at him on his way to the office, where Melody is waiting for him. She reaches out with her chubby, little hands as soon as she sees him, squealing "Dada! Dada!"

He laughs and picks her up from her seat, bouncing her up and down in his arms until she laughs as well, high-pitched giggles that sound strangely like Kurt's. He carries her back to the workshop, to say a proper hello to Mr. Hummel, when suddenly Melody squirms in his arms, looking over his shoulder at something behind him, and gurgles out a word that sounds too much like "Mama" to be anything else.

Finn turns around, and there is Kurt, right behind him, staring at him with wide eyes. Melody struggles impatiently, reaching out for Kurt, and squeals "Mama, Mama", all over again.

"Did you teach her that?" Kurt asks his father, face blank, and his voice sounds strange, halting and raw.

Burt raises a brow. "Do I look like I have time to teach the little squirrel what to call my son?" he asks, doing his best to look disgusted, but Finn can hear the barely suppressed amusement in his voice.

"Mama", Melody repeats, more fretfully this time, and Kurt steps forwards automatically, looking like he's in trance.

He holds out his arms, and Finn presses a kiss to Melody's cheek before handing her over. "Sh, sh", he says, without even thinking, "Mama is here now."

He watches Kurt wrap her up in his arms, pressing his face against her blond curls when she snuggles up to him, and Finn feels his heart swell with something like joy, and love, and hope.

Maybe it's time, he thinks, and clears his throat.

"You want to come to the park with us?" he asks, and the question shouldn't feel so heavy on his tongue.

When Kurt looks up at him, his eyes are wet. "Yeah", he says hoarsely, "I'd like that."

A screw wrench hits the floor with a clang. "No making out in front of the kid" Burt shouts, and Finn watches Kurt blush all the way up to the tips of his ears.

"I'll just put my hands over her eyes", he yells back and almost laughs out loud when Kurt lets out a choking sound.

"You coming?" he asks instead, turning towards the door, but stops when Kurt says "Finn", too quietly for his father to hear.

The expression on Kurt's face is fond and hopeful and scared all at once, and Finn thinks it must mirror his own.

"Finn", Kurt says, swallowing thickly. "Don't play with me."

Finn looks at Kurt, and the little girl in his arms. He bends down to kiss Melody's forehead, and then, without thinking, he does the same to Kurt. He feels soft skin under his lips and a strand of fine hair, smells expensive cologne and orange juice and thinks that he could get used to this.

"I'm not playing with you", he says firmly. "Believe me, I'm not."


End file.
